variants
or less commonly shivah
or Shiva
or Shivah
: a traditional seven-day period of mourning the death of a family member that is observed in Jewish homes
Details about the funeral and shiva have not yet been finalized.—
Alyssa Fisher
Alyssa FisherThe observance of Shiva is traced to the dawn of Jewish history. The Torah relates that Joseph mourned the death of Jacob his father for seven days.—Zalman Goldstein
—often used in the phrase sit shiva
Zalman GoldsteinWe're going to say kaddish, sit shiva and eat poundcake for a week.—Gary David Goldberg
Gary David GoldbergShe's sitting shivah for her father. She doesn't want to be disturbed.—Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret… the comedy centers on a dysfunctional family that is forced to reunite when their father requests they sit Shivah for seven days following his death.—Dave Trumbore
Dave TrumboreExamples of shiva in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Named after the serpent king from Hindu mythology who coils around Lord Shiva’s neck, Vasuki indicus carries a name as rooted in India as the rocks it was pulled from.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
The American Horror Story star was previously married to actress Shiva Rose.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Utopia, the domestic buyer of movies including Pet Shop Days, Shiva Baby, and Holy Spider, is plunging into new waters with the acquisition of Hot Spring Shark Attack (aka Onsen Shâku).
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
Every year, thousands of locals flock to Ganga Talao, a scenic crater lake on the southern part of the island that’s overlooked by a 33-meter-tall statue of the goddess Shiva and a shrine to Hanuman, the monkey god of wisdom and courage.
—Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025
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Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
The American Horror Story star was previously married to actress Shiva Rose.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Utopia, the domestic buyer of movies including Pet Shop Days, Shiva Baby, and Holy Spider, is plunging into new waters with the acquisition of Hot Spring Shark Attack (aka Onsen Shâku).
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
Every year, thousands of locals flock to Ganga Talao, a scenic crater lake on the southern part of the island that’s overlooked by a 33-meter-tall statue of the goddess Shiva and a shrine to Hanuman, the monkey god of wisdom and courage.
—Byrefael Kubersky, science.org, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shiva
Cite this Entry
“Shiva.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shiva. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shiva
noun
shi·va
variants
also shivah
: a traditional seven-day period of mourning the death of a family member that is observed in Jewish homes
—often used in the phrase sit shiva
they are sitting shiva for their father
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
